Philippines Protests China Daily's Racist AI Video as South China Sea Ruling Turns 10

A Racist Video Draws a Formal Diplomatic Protest

The Philippines lodged a formal diplomatic protest on July 17, 2026, after Chinese state media outlet China Daily published an artificial intelligence generated video depicting Filipinos as monkeys. The minute long animation appeared on July 10, two days before the tenth anniversary of the international arbitration ruling that rejected China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea.

Manila demanded the video's immediate removal. Its response brought together the Department of Foreign Affairs, defense and national security officials, the Philippine Coast Guard, and lawmakers from government and opposition parties. Several legislators also called for a public apology and accountability for those responsible.

China Daily's video, titled The Philippine Politicians Karaoke Show, combines a racist caricature with images of foreign control, a water cannon attack and the disposal of the 2016 arbitral award. Its central message portrays the Philippines as acting for outside powers rather than defending its own maritime rights.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the material did not represent the government's official position. The video nevertheless remained on China Daily's Facebook page as of mid-July, with no official apology or withdrawal announced by July 17.

The dispute connects an online propaganda campaign to confrontations at sea. Philippine personnel have faced Chinese water cannons in contested waters, while Manila continues to rely on the 2016 ruling as the legal foundation of its maritime policy. The animation turns both the physical confrontations and the legal dispute into a spectacle of humiliation.

What the Animation Shows

A monkey wearing a barong tagalog, the Philippines' traditional formal clothing, is pushed onto a makeshift karaoke stage aboard a rickety boat. Arms displaying the flags of the United States and Japan, representing Manila's treaty allies, force it to perform.

When the monkey sings about cooperation with China on maritime delimitation talks, meaning negotiations over maritime boundaries, a voice in the animation responds:

wrong song!

stupid!

The monkey then produces a sheet labelled South China Sea arbitration award. It is catapulted into the sea and struck by a high pressure water cannon. The closing image treats the legally binding ruling as litter.

The karaoke scene mocks a familiar part of Filipino cultural life, while the monkey imagery uses a longstanding racist method of portraying people as less than human. The American and Japanese arms carry Beijing's claim that Manila is being directed by foreign powers. The water cannon echoes documented encounters in which Chinese Coast Guard vessels have injured Philippine personnel and damaged equipment.

China Daily's accompanying caption attacked the award and the Philippines' relationships with outside powers. The state outlet wrote:

Ten years on, the so-called South China Sea arbitration award remains no remedy for peace, but a source of confrontation dressed up as law.

The caption also accused the Philippines of turning itself:

into a pawn in someone else's geopolitical game

China Daily attributed that position to Manila:

clinging to external forces and stirring up trouble.

How Manila Escalated Its Response

The Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement late on July 16 and demanded immediate removal. The department said the video:

went beyond legitimate political debate

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim met Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan in person to convey Manila's objection. Herrera-Lim described the Philippine position as:

firm objection

He explained why the material mattered for relations between the two countries:

such content is inconsistent with the mutual respect expected between states and does no favors to the sound and stable management of bilateral relations.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing also sent a formal letter to China Daily's editor-in-chief. On July 17, the department escalated the response into a diplomatic protest, describing the imagery as:

blatantly demeaning, dehumanizing, and racist.

The department warned that such material would:

only serve to widen the distrust between the Philippines and China

Its demands included:

the immediate cessation of such irresponsible content

The department also urged Beijing to:

uphold dignity, respect, and truth in public discourse.

These actions used several diplomatic channels at once: a direct meeting with China's ambassador, correspondence from the Philippine Embassy and a formal protest from Manila. The response placed the controversy within the management of bilateral relations rather than leaving it as an argument between social media users.

The Legal Ruling Behind the Confrontation

The 2016 award, issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, remains central to Philippine maritime policy. It invalidated China's expansive nine-dash line claim covering most of the South China Sea and affirmed Philippine sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone extending 200 nautical miles.

An exclusive economic zone gives a coastal country rights over resources in the surrounding waters. The award also found that Beijing had violated international law by damaging the marine environment and interfering with Philippine fishing and oil exploration.

China rejects the ruling on jurisdictional grounds, disputing the authority to decide the case. Manila treats the award as legally binding. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, known as UNCLOS, is central to the dispute. China helped negotiate that framework but rejects its application where it conflicts with Beijing's position.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano Oban Jr. condemned the video, using the following words to describe his response:

in the strongest terms

He connected the attack on Filipinos to the attack on the legal award:

When a legal position cannot be sustained before the law, the effort shifts to undermining the law itself, and those who uphold it.

He added:

Racist caricatures and manufactured narratives cannot erase legal facts. They only expose the absence of a credible legal answer.

The award's tenth anniversary made the video's timing especially sensitive. On July 12, the Philippines issued a joint statement signed by 13 partner nations, including Japan, the United States, Australia and European powers, reaffirming its binding status. With the Philippines included, that represented 14 nations backing the award.

Beijing described the anniversary statement as an attempt to vilify China. Its response called the statement a:

distortion of the facts

Teodoro Links the Video to Defense Policy

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. had already become a direct target of Chinese sanctions. In June 2026, Beijing banned him and his immediate family from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau after his criticism of Chinese actions in disputed waters.

In his July 16 statement, Teodoro described the video as:

contemptible propaganda

He also called it:

a disgrace to any State that claims to exercise responsible regional leadership.

Teodoro's fuller response linked its racial imagery, treatment of the award and portrayal of violence:

This mockery of the lawful 2016 Arbitral Award and the video's glorification of violence against the Filipino people and soldiers expose the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of China's propaganda machine. Such contemptible propaganda reveals the weakness of a government that resorts to racism, threats, and manufactured hatred because it has utterly failed to defend its ridiculous claims through reason, evidence, or law.

The defense secretary said the incident supported Manila's policy of refusing ministerial or military defense engagements with the Chinese Communist Party. He described a series of Chinese actions in these terms:

The recent spate of schizophrenic behavior of the Chinese Communist Party is too clear to disregard or to ignore.

He continued:

This latest act of dehumanization further reveals them as neither a secure and confident actor nor a trustworthy neighbor.

Teodoro was referring to actions that included the installation and subsequent removal of a floating barrier at Scarborough Shoal in June, the sanctions against his family and the publication of the racist animation. His response tied the propaganda controversy to decisions about whether defense contacts with Beijing could be trusted.

Why the Water Cannon Imagery Matters

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Rear-Admiral Jay Tarriela shared the video on X on July 16. His condemnation focused directly on its racial portrayal:

Racism has no place in this day and age, and racism meant to belittle another race deserves nothing but condemnation. Filipinos are not monkeys!

Tarriela also expressed disbelief in an interview:

I don't think there is any other justifiable reason to come up with this AI video to portray Filipinos as monkeys.

China had filed a diplomatic protest against Tarriela in January 2026 after he posted a photograph showing comical images of Chinese President Xi Jinping during a speech. The July controversy therefore followed an earlier confrontation over political imagery involving the same Coast Guard spokesperson.

Chinese Coast Guard vessels routinely use high pressure water cannons against Philippine patrol boats and fishing vessels near Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands. Encounters have become increasingly violent, with reports of Chinese personnel carrying swords, spears and knives during confrontations.

Scarborough Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island, lies approximately 100 miles, or 160 kilometers, from the Philippine coast and roughly 500 miles from China's mainland. Those figures place it about five times farther from mainland China than from the Philippines.

The shoal's location forms part of Manila's maritime position. Beijing maintains practical control through its coercive presence at sea while continuing to reject the 2016 award. For Coast Guard personnel, the animation's water cannon scene refers to a danger they have faced during actual operations.

Government Allies and Opposition Condemn the Portrayal

Deputy Speakers Paolo Ortega and Jay Khonghun joined Deputy Majority Leaders Ernix Dionisio Jr. and Zia Alonto Adiong in issuing a joint statement. They described the monkey depiction as:

a vile, racist attack that exposes the moral bankruptcy and intellectual desperation of Beijing's propaganda apparatus.

The lawmakers continued:

This is the conduct of a bully that has run out of legal arguments and has resorted to bigotry.

They placed the video within the maritime dispute:

China first illegally claims vast areas of the South China Sea that belong to the Philippines under international law. When lawfully rebuked, it now resorts to mockery and racist caricature.

The four lawmakers said the award was:

publicly backed by 14 nations

They added:

not a single country of conscience has endorsed China's expansive nine-dash line fantasy.

Former Senator Leila de Lima, now a Mamamayang Liberal Party-list representative, condemned Beijing's conduct:

China's arrogance knows no bounds

She said the video reflected:

the mindset of an entitled bully.

De Lima contrasted the current administration's position with the previous administration's accommodation toward Beijing:

Unlike during the previous administration, we do not kowtow to their caprices.

Pinoy Workers Party-list Representative Karl Josef Legazpi focused on the limits of ridicule as a political weapon:

Propaganda will not change the truth. The rights recognized under international law, including those affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award, cannot be erased by bullying or ridicule.

Akbayan Party-list Representative Percival Cendana pointed to a contradiction between China's criticism of colonial powers and the video's dehumanizing imagery:

It is deeply troubling that the government of a global superpower is now employing an old and despicable slur against Filipinos. We should take note of the fact that the Chinese government has in the past attacked and criticized western imperialism and colonialism. But now it is displaying the same dehumanizing rhetoric and chauvinist behavior characteristic of any imperialist power.

Senators Seek Restraint, an Apology and Accountability

Senate President Pro Tempore Juan Miguel Zubiri urged the Philippines to take:

the high road

He argued that a maritime disagreement should remain separate from racial abuse:

We can disagree on the West Philippine Sea but no self-respecting nation should allow that dispute to descend into racism and dehumanization.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian expressed a similar position:

Racism has no place in any society that values truth and civility.

Senator Francis Pangilinan called the video:

blatantly racist, derogatory, and completely unacceptable

Pangilinan demanded action beyond deleting the post. He urged Beijing to:

order China Daily to remove the video, issue a public apology, and hold those responsible accountable.

He also warned that the campaign carried a reputational cost for China:

Instead of promoting understanding and respect, this type of propaganda not only insults Filipinos but also damages China's aspiration to be recognized as a responsible and respected leader in the international community.

The statements showed condemnation across legislative chambers, political affiliations and ideological differences. Officials disagreed over many domestic questions, yet the video's racial imagery produced a shared response. The common demands centered on dignity, respect for the legal award and an end to attacks that portray Filipinos as less than human.

A Campaign Timed Around the Anniversary

China Daily's Facebook page had published other AI generated clips and editorial cartoons in recent weeks depicting Manila as a clown and a snake. The monkey animation was part of that broader campaign, which coincided with Beijing's diplomatic response to the award's tenth anniversary.

The sequence of events was:

• January 2026: China protested Tarriela's post showing comical images of President Xi Jinping.
• June 2026: Beijing imposed travel bans on Teodoro and his immediate family. A floating barrier was installed and later removed at Scarborough Shoal.
• July 10: China Daily published The Philippine Politicians Karaoke Show.
• July 12: The Philippines and 13 partner nations reaffirmed the binding status of the 2016 award on its tenth anniversary.
• July 16: The Philippine foreign affairs department demanded removal, while Teodoro and Tarriela publicly condemned the video.
• July 17: Manila lodged a formal diplomatic protest.

Publication two days before the anniversary placed the animation directly alongside commemorative diplomacy. The campaign sought to challenge Manila's legal position and its relationships with partner countries. The response instead generated international attention focused on the racist portrayal and strengthened public condemnation within the Philippines.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman distanced the government from the animation with the statement:

does not represent the official position.

The statement left the content on the state outlet's page and offered no apology. No removal date or accountability process had been announced by July 17. It also remained unclear whether the publication reflected a centrally coordinated strategy, competition among Chinese institutions or decisions made within the state media outlet.

How AI Connects Propaganda to Maritime Pressure

Artificial intelligence reduces the time and resources needed to produce animated political content. Material that once required extensive animation work can now be generated more efficiently, allowing familiar propaganda techniques to reach audiences through a larger volume of personalized content.

The China Daily video combines that production capacity with older methods: racial caricature, ridicule of national culture and the claim that a smaller country is controlled by powerful allies. Soviet propaganda depended on elaborate production infrastructure, while Nazi racial caricatures relied on state artistic bureaucracies. Modern algorithms and prompts make inflammatory material easier to create during a political crisis.

Manila's response shows how such content can become part of a security dispute. The animation depicts the same water cannons used in maritime confrontations and attacks the legal document Philippine officials use to defend their country's rights. Its reception also gave officials across political divisions a common reason to resist Chinese pressure.

The South China Sea carries trillions of dollars in commercial shipping each year and contains important fisheries and potentially vast hydrocarbon reserves. Control over those resources and routes sits alongside a dispute about whether countries will accept the rules governing maritime rights.

The decade since the 2016 award has exposed the limits of international adjudication when a government rejects a decision and maintains control through force or pressure. Tribunals depend on political support to secure compliance. Sustained coordination with allies can place constraints on unilateral action, even when a legal victory has not ended confrontations at sea.

China's use of a state media outlet for racist imagery also carries costs for its claim to responsible regional leadership. Material power and diplomatic reputation operate together: Beijing retains a strong maritime presence, while the video has widened distrust and brought Philippine institutions together in opposition. The immediate outcome is a formal protest and a demand to remove the content, against the continuing backdrop of an unresolved maritime confrontation.

The Bottom Line

• China Daily published a minute long AI generated video depicting Filipinos as monkeys on July 10, 2026.
• The animation mocked the 2016 arbitral award and portrayed a water cannon attack, echoing real confrontations at sea.
• The Philippines demanded removal on July 16 and lodged a formal diplomatic protest on July 17.
• Manila also raised its objection with Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan and China Daily's editor-in-chief.
• The Philippines and 13 partner nations reaffirmed the award's binding status on July 12, its tenth anniversary.
• Defense, security and Coast Guard officials joined government and opposition lawmakers in condemning the video.
• Senator Francis Pangilinan called for removal, a public apology and accountability.
• The video remained online as of mid-July. China's Foreign Ministry said it did not represent the official position.